People take to streets demanding implementation of Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland, ILP

We will decide what next step to take if the government fails to implement RIIN, warns convenor of JCPI.

Our Correspondents / Reporter
Kohima, March 19 (EMN): Responding to the call of the Joint Committee on Prevention of Illegal Immigrants (JCPI), peaceful protest rallies were held at Kohima, Dimapur and Wokha on Friday, demanding the implementation of Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) in the state.

It was decided during JCPI’s consultative meeting with the apex tribal bodies and civil society organisations (CSOs) on March 12 to hold protest rallies and submit representations to the government through their respective deputy commissioners, demanding enforcement of RIIN exercise within March 31.

In Kohima, more than hundred people from different organisations took part in the protest at Secretariat Junction.

A memorandum was submitted to the government of Nagaland through the principal secretary. The representation is expected to be conveyed to the chief minister and further consultation between the government and JCPI might follow in the days to come, according to the committee.

Speaking at the rally, former NLA Speaker and member of JCPI, Z Lohe said that ‘as long as the so-called sovereign nation does not keep a record of bonafide citizens, that nation does not become a sovereign nation and the country cannot be called as independent country’.

‘Nagaland is nobody’s land unless it identifies who are its inhabitants. Nagaland belongs to everybody and anybody can come, stay, do anything and go back,’ he said, adding that it has been ‘like that’ for a long time.

Now that the present government has decided to introduce the RIIN exercise, the submission of representation to state government today (Friday) is to support Rio’s government and not against him, he said, while urging the people not to misunderstood or misinterpret RIIN.

The former MLA went on to say that if government does not implement RIIN exercise, ‘it would be an irreparable damage to the indigenous citizens of Nagaland’.

‘We Nagas are very serious about repairable damage but are not serious about irreparable damage that might cause to future generation. If we do not know citizenship, we have no future,’ he stated. ‘Time has coming where Nagaland has to be replenished and only RIIN can do that because without it the real peace will not come to state’.

Why put RIIN in cold storage?

Member of JCPI, Theja Therieh wondered why the state government still has not enacted RIIN as law when the cabinet had already approved the Banuo commission.

Why is the state government keeping the Banuo Commission in cold storage when all the tribes of Nagaland and public have approved the execution of the exercise? he asked and requested the government to implement it immediately.

‘The people are not asking for something that is impossible. It is possible for the state government to bring an ordinance by March 31 and make RIIN as law,’ he added.

He said that RIIN would clearly give a guideline to all the leaders of the state to identify indigenous and non-indigenous.

‘It’s not like RIIN would chase away non-indigenous people away from Nagaland but to register, identify and keep a record of where one is from. Accordingly, the state government can provide trade license, job certificate etc. to people from outside the state. Therefore, the protest is not against the government but to pressure it to implement RIIN soon,’ he added.

Vice president of Sumi Hoho Kohima, Vixepu Swu said that Nagaland will become next Tripura state where 75% of the inhabitants are “outsiders” if enforcement of RIIN is delayed.

‘We can foresee what would happen to the next generation,’he said, adding that it was public who elected the politicians and authorised them to run the office of the state; everyone should raise their voice in such matter’.

 President of Kohima District GB Association, Vineipra Pienyu said that the protest was to strengthen the state government, which has already decided to take up the RIIN exercise but is taking time to implement it.

We are demanding our rights and privileges

In Dimapur, the JCPI along with tribal apex bodies and CSOs held a rally at DC Court and a memorandum was submitted to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio through the deputy commissioner of Dimapur. Hundreds of protestors from various bodies participated in the protest to show their support.

Addressing the crowd, the convenor of JCPI, Atomi Swu, said that the movement is not against the “state or National government” but to demand for “the rights and privileges of our people”.

He said the state came into being through an understanding and negotiation between the government of India and the people of Nagaland, and therefore “the movement today (held on Friday) is nothing is but demanding the rights and privileges to be implemented and this has become a movement of the people and the desire of the people”.

‘We welcome everyone to stay with us and to do business with us but Nagaland cannot be a state of lawlessness,’ he stated, adding that “outsiders should respect our laws and they do not have the right to decide what is good for us”.

‘The people here in Nagaland should decide what is good for us and we should have the right to object or reject what is not good for us,’ he said.

Swu went on to say that this is the first phase of protest where a memorandum has been submitted to the chief minister through the deputy commissioner, and they have given time till March 31 for the implementation of RIIN. In case it is not implemented by the given time “we will decide what next step to take but as of now there is no concrete decision what step will be taken,” he added.

He informed protests were held in Kohima and Wokha as well, and 14 tribes have taken a decision to write their own representations in support of JCPI and the rally.

‘We feel that our rights will be ensured once the RIIN is implemented,’ said the convenor of JCPI.

Expressing support to the JCPI, President of Kachari Tribal Council, Ramesh Hasu said that the committee was formed to ensure that ‘our state does not become like Tripura where the indigenous people have lost their rights’.

President of Naga tribal Union Chümoukedima Town, Lhousito Khro stated that the rally was organised to ask why RIIN was discussed at the assembly session, besides demanding for its enforcement. ‘RIIN and inner line permit (ILP) should be implemented at the earliest, and the cut-off year should be 1963, he added.

‘Nagaland is a small state with unique history and therefore in order to protect the culture, tradition and custom, special constitutional provision was given to the state,’ he continued.

‘The JCPI felt that ILP should be strictly implemented in Nagaland especially in city like Dimapur, and RIIN is not the demand of the JCPI or other bodies but was originally proposed by the ruling government that said RIIN is necessary to effectively implement ILP,’ he said.

‘Of course, we warmly welcome outsiders, we welcome even business houses and industrialist, but with proper documents,’ he added.

Rally in Wokha

The Lotha Hoho organised a rally at Police Point in Wokha on Friday to protest non implementation of RIIN and ILP in the state.

Various frontal organisations like Lotha Eloe Hoho, Lotha Youth Hoho, Lotha Students’ Union, Wokha Town GBs Association, Wokha District Village Chairman Association, Wokha Town Council Union, Team Metamorphosis, Chamber of Commerce and Industry and All Commercial Vehicle Association participated in the protest.

The protesters marched to the office of Deputy Commissioner of Wokha, where Lotha Hoho General Secretary S Abenthung Ngullie handed a memorandum addressed to the chief minister of the state, to DC Orenthung Lotha.

The letter stated that a notification to implement RIIN within 60 days was issued on June 29, 2019 before commission for RIIN Modalities, headed by Banuo Jamir was constituted and its report submitted in the same year. It said that the exercise is still kept in abeyance and Dimapur is outside the ambit of ILP though it should cover the entire state according to the provisions given in Article 317A and 16-point Agreement.

It went on to urge the state government to implement the RIIN across the state with December 1 1963 as the cut-off year and to execute ILP in the entire state including Dimapur district.

Addressing the gathering, Lotha Hoho chairman Mhondamo Ovung stressed on the urgent need to implement RIIN and put Dimapur under the preview of ILP.

Also read:

Implement Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland within March 31 — JCPI